Tag: Donald Trump

I wanted to take a minute to write you specifically, so that you would know that your feelings matter to me.

I know the past week or so has been really super, incredibly, terribly, horribly hard for you. You believed that Hillary Clinton would finally break that non-existent glass ceiling and that the warm and fuzzy snuggles you’ve had since President Obama came to office would keep on keeping on. Beer summits, Lin-Manuel Miranda free verse nights at the White House, and free weed for all, this is what you’d hoped Hillary would bring you. That and possibly turning the day after the Super Bowl into a national holiday.

When that didn’t happen you believed it had to be someone else’s fault, because let’s face it, this is what you’ve always been told. Why would you know otherwise?

I also understand very deeply how important it is for your narrative to not be messed with. After all most of you that are now “expressing yourself” grew up with a public school curriculum that reminded you that your feelings are never wrong and that “looking out for yourself first” is the most important lesson in life. When someone doesn’t affirm this I know the cognitive dissonance has to come near making your brain explode.

Yes you never knew the lessons of losing because when your team scored fewer runs they still got trophies. You don’t much like God nor his ten commandments because they seem like a serious drag on your positivity with all the “thou shalt nots.”

I get that you don’t know the difference in using the f-word or not in polite conversation, and I know that some of you may even be angry that your parents made you live your entire life as the actual gender that matched your anatomical genitalia.

Life has been hard for you.

Suffering through history lessons in… er history class, and sometimes hearing things about historical figures that weren’t quite as gentle as what your fluffy professors would like to teach you they were. To be candid, it’s a miracle that so many generations before yours suffered through such indignities.

Even though you can’t articulate nor even defend your actual worldview, I know how much easier it would be for you to just never have to listen to anything that runs counter to it to begin with.

I know on Snapchat, Instagram, and facebook you have this image of yourself that you are carefully crafting and how easy it is for you to just unfriend someone when they don’t like your newest “Sex-tie.”

So I can only imagine how bad the last two weeks have been.

Donald Trump, you’ve been told, is an “orange Jesus,” a not nice person who dislikes people different than him, and may actually cause a lot of disruption to your whole vibe. And because your world is filled with only one point of view, when that point of view tells you that the world may end if this happens, you naturally start asking your teachers for safe spaces. But after a while you grow bored there so you need coloring books and play-doh, or maybe even puppies to cheer you up. Because you know #FeelingsMatter.

Yes it’s true, things may get a bit harder for a while. New anchors will mostly huff and grumble their way through his picking of his cabinet and his inauguration. They will fill your minds with teasers like “how great would it be if we got rid of the electoral college?” In some instances I’ve heard college professors have even taken to encouraging you to harass the members of the electoral college into trying to sway them to reverse their votes from Trump to Clinton. One lady I heard they’ve harassed with over 8000 phone calls and emails. Because you know #RapeMelania.

When none of this works those same news anchors, and academics, and others who believe that you should live according to your feelings (instead of facts) will likely blame the outcome on something else. Because you know #NotMyPresident.

They will still continue to attempt to get you to harass those who differ with you though. Like if a Vice President goes to see Hamilton they think it’s a classy move to curse so loudly and out of control during songs they perceive apply to the administration they will encourage you to do so long enough to stop the performance—multiple times. Because you know #LoveTrumpsHate.

And if you can’t get a ticket because they’re being sold for that old fashioned capitalistic idea of a profit, just wait outside and chant for him to f-himself as he leaves. Because you know #WhenTheyGoLowYouGoHigh.

Whatever you do though, pay no attention to the beliefs, words, or ideas that Alexander Hamilton actually believed because he was a dangerous dude who would’ve opposed everything your twice rejected Queen Hillary believed.

For example:“There are seasons in every country when noise and impudence pass current for worth; and in popular commotions especially, the clamors of interested and factious men are often mistaken for patriotism.”

“Why has government been instituted at all? Because the passions of man will not conform to the dictates of reason and justice without constraint.”

“The inquiry constantly is what will please, not what will benefit the people. In such a government there can be nothing but temporary, expedient, fickleness and folly.”

“I have thought it my duty to exhibit things as they are, not as they ought to be.”

A Hamilton-sized betrayal of such magnitude might cause a nationwide snowflake suicide watch. Because you know #SnowflakesLivesMatter.

What I most want to tell you though is simple, “You will be okay in the end.” The icons you worship have led you to believe that the world is falling apart, but in reality for the next few months and years, things are going to radically improve.

But in order to do so, just about everything you’ve ever been taught in your precious little snowflake life will have to be unlearned.

And the lesson you will have to take away from it all, is that America will survive for another generation.

This past week a talk radio colleague created a stir when she asserted that those who were refusing to vote for Donald Trump on moral grounds were both misguided but also hypocritical.

She went so far as to describe those that did not choose to support the only candidate who can defeat Hillary Clinton as in essence supporting the expansion of abortion.

Laura Ingraham was correct in her assertions.

Though I do not make any assumption of intent to do so, I very much agree that those who refuse to stop Hillary, are assisting her efforts. On the campaign trail this year she has pledged to quadruple the current tax-payer funding of Planned Parenthood. We currently send more than one half billion tax dollars to the organization that kills 387,000 children per year (and increasingly in turn makes more money from the selling of their body parts.) Hillary has pledged to quadruple these efforts.

So if you’re comfortable with Hillary Clinton spending two billion of our tax dollars (money you work hard for to feed your kids with) to kill upwards of 1.2 million children, then do nothing.

But the moral mandate to oppose Clinton goes far beyond the killing of unborn children.

Her economic policies would continue the choking regulations on small businesses. Doing so means fewer jobs are created. Fewer people feeding their families. Fewer people doing good with their tithes and charitable giving. Fewer resources to ever help those who have fallen through the cracks. She has no plan to address the issues of the urban centers. She has not met and formulated action plans with community leaders in Detroit, Chicago, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and DC. She has no plan to help end addiction, dependency, and entitlement drains. She is fine with allowing those who are suffering to continue to suffer, so long as they vote for her. This approach is morally wrong, not merely fiscally.

Her national security positions are impossible to trust. She openly flaunted national security concerns by installing and using a nearly completely unsecured server. Her shrug-of-the-shoulder approach to classified information being left vulnerable on her server stood in sharp contrast to nearly every military or intelligence official who has had their statuses revoked for much smaller infractions. Considering also that the FBI agents who worked the case investigating her unanimously felt she should never be given a security clearance again should be telling. Considering that the six DOJ attorneys who worked her case believed she should’ve been prosecuted should seal the deal as to whether the moral trust the nation will have to put in it’s top intelligence officer. Indifference to the law is as immoral as breaking it. Her willingness to ignore the plight of the boys in Benghazi, lie to their families faces and ask Congress “what difference it made” also speaks to her willful and immoral lack of care for those in her charge. She is morally compromised, and demonstrated it while serving in government.

Her approach to the rule of law speaks loudly to the lack of moral code she would continue to encourage at higher office. Everything from encouraging Black Lives Matter to go further in disturbing law and order in their protests, to making smarmy and arrogant jokes while wholesale denying things we later found out to be true speaks to her own willingness to skirt any law that is inconvenient for her. She is without equal in public brazenness and overly prideful in defying lawful orders, subpoenas, and court instruction. Not ironically those are usually issued because of an earlier refusal to comply with written laws.

Lastly and perhaps the most important reason that she must be opposed on moral grounds is very simple: we’re not merely electing one person to one position. The president will bring with them nearly 3000 bureaucrats. Which leads those not committed to stopping Hillary to answer some tough questions.

For instance, what’s the rigorous intellectual difference between what Laura Ingraham said and what conservatives have argued about democrats who claim to be pro-life but refuse to raise a finger to stop

Every argument made to vote for Bush in 2000 once Keyes and Bauer were out of the running was “he’s better than Gore… even if imperfect. Every argument made for McCain was that while he may have not been a perfect conservative we would get more from him than Obama. The same for Romney.

You fight the battle for purity in the primary, but you should fight for the survival of civilization in the general.

As did EVERY male evangelical voice (including myself) over the same period of time.

It’s true. All the ones named, and a good many others, spoke to the reprehensible nature of what Donald Trump’s comments represented in his attitude, heart, and willingness to (in what to date appears to be) boast in an imaginative way of forcing himself upon women, some married.

In the IMMEDIATE aftermath of the tape’s revelation, not only did I condemn the words, but (in what should be an honest and deeply meaningful admission to these female evangelical leaders,) I challenged men (of faith or not) to take a hard assessment of our own hearts, and to admit what none of the women around us would likely believe.

I saw some men attempt to be holier-than-thou’s shortly after the tape’s emergence. I saw Coach Doc Rivers say “there’s no locker room talk like that on our team.”

And I’ve seen a bevy of women make public professions that their men would “n-e-v-e-r” say or think any of the things said or implied or anything like what was heard on that bus.

I have bad news to break to these women… they are misinformed.

Different men wrestle with different things but all men battle their brain as it regards sexual thoughts.

Except for the ones who don’t fight it…

Those are the ones much more likely to express just such sentiment around teammates, co-workers, brothers etc.

The bottom line on this is non-debatable, it is indisputable, every man, all men, even the husband you believe is perfectly pure, wrestles.

He sees things you don’t know about. He thinks things he never tells you about. And he on a human level–at times–not always–but at times–desires things he would not normally admit publicly. (Like I said, the ones who no longer fight it, are more likely to say it.)

Donald Trump’s admission brought shame to himself, to his bride, to his children. But he is not alone in dealing with it… nor should we be conned into thinking that any of us are above him.

For the church this moment should’ve become an instant *teaching moment* for honest communication in marriages, honest transparent teaching in churches about God’s design for sex and the truly honest battle that sex is for men.

But even on this, their cries of support for Hillary Clinton ring hollow.

To be clear doing anything other than stopping Hillary in the general election works as part of her strategy to get her elected. So not voting, voting third party, voting write-in, are all the equivalent of voting FOR her because of the binary nature of the general election.

Biblically speaking no Christian leader anywhere is on safe terms calling for abstaining from “rendering to” the civil governance what is required. Jesus himself commands us to do our civil duty in addition to doing our spiritual duty.

Likewise even in the Torah the book of Deuteronomy lays out God’s over all instruction for his followers to construct their lives by. He tells us that He has laid before us both “life & death” and that we are literally to “choose life.”

The women that now demonstrate a willful belligerence against the current options sat silent during a hotly contested primary season when an actual born again Christian — man of one wife — could have easily become the nominee and now be opposing Hillary Clinton.

If Beth Moore had as passionately tweeted about the need to be involved, be informed, and be engaged while the purest choices available were up for the choosing it would have been interesting to see how her positive could have helped render a different outcome.

And it is not as though Trump’s past habits of sexual looseness weren’t well documented even in his book “The Art of The Deal.”

These women also are largely ignoring the direct testimony of people like fellow Christian Kellyanne Conway who has repeatedly discussed Trump’s demeanor, change in direction, and why she honestly believes while working with Mr. Trump daily that he is a man in the midst of transformation.

That this is a man who has repeatedly advanced women within his companies, sought out opportunities for them and paid them far more dollars for their efforts than Hillary Clinton has at the Clinton Foundation.

None of this even begins to address the pathetic hypocrisy of these female evangelical leaders in ignoring Hillary Clinton’s own aiding and abetting — not mere sexual harassment, not just “dirty talk,” — actual rape and criminal sexual assault by rapists she represented in court, and one she has been married to for 30+ years.

Donald spoke disturbing comments that God would command for him to put to death in his mind before they ever cross his lips.

But Bill Clinton physically sexually assaulted Kathleen Willey in the halls of the White House, he physically sexually raped Juanita Brodderick while still governor of Arkansas–going so far as to bite through her face to keep her from screaming while he raped her–then telling her to have a doctor “look at that thing” just before leaving. There are 20 other women on record who have never received a just hearing for the actions taken by the former President.

To date these female evangelical leaders have said zero about Hillary’s complicity in helping Bill’s exploits by first approving the women involved, but also attacking them publicly and harshly when they finally spoke up.

I will not judge the motives of these women. But I also can not stand aside and allow them to give this nation to a woman who has pledged to quadruple funding for tax-payer abortion vis a vie Planned Parenthood. 387,000 children a year already being executed by our $500,000,000.00 in tax-payer money shouldn’t be turned into $2,000,000,000.00 and 1,200,000 dead babies.

I understand the frustration of flawed men who sometimes fight it and sometimes don’t fight their sinful sexual nature.

But uninformed ignorance paving a pathway to greater self-destruction by supposedly authoritative voices to the Christian women of our society must not be allowed to stand unanswered.

So enough with the shallow hollow tweets and soundbites.

Let’s begin a real discussion, of the real score, and REALLY try to help real people–especially the lives of our wives, daughters, and families!

This letter is penned by Brent Bozell III

I was a contributor to National Review’s Against Trump symposium at the beginning of the year.

Sarah Palin, Ben Carson, Mike Huckabee and Phyllis Schlafly—you are friends and allies, serious men and women for whom I have great respect. You and other conservatives disagreed.

I pen this open letter to you.

Even those of us who oppose Trump understand that he’s tapping into something that has exploded onto the national scene: disenchantment, even white-hot rage among the Republican base with the party’s establishment and the Washington status quo. You and I understand this because we were taking on the weak-kneed GOP leadership many, many years ago, back when Donald Trump was donating to Bill and Hillary Clinton.

Is Donald Trump the answer? That question’s on everyone’s mind. But there needs to be another question answered first: Does Donald Trump mean a word he says? Are conservative leaders supporting Trump prepared to live with the consequences if he doesn’t?

Many critics have outlined the innumerable left-wing positions and candidates Trump championed before he got in this race. It’s worth recalling some of them now: Trump not only supported but bankrolled amnesty. He supported taxpayer funding of Planned Parenthood. He supported not just abortion but partial-birth abortion. He was open to gay marriage. He supported government-funded universal healthcare.

He supported eminent domain for (his) private gain. He supported the Wall Street bailout. He supported “assault weapons” bans. He applauded President Obama for doing a “great job.” He congratulated Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for doing a “good job.” He financially helped the Democrats pass Obamacare. Trump was a registered Democrat when that party was being led by the likes of Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV), donating heavily during President Obama’s tenure. He’s bankrolled Democrats like Jimmy Carter, Rahm Emmanuel, Anthony Weiner, Terry McAuliffe, Chuck Schumer, Charlie Rangel, Ted Kennedy and John Kerry, to name a few.

But Trump said he’s changed. On everything. Overnight. Just in time for the GOP nomination fight.

Really?

Let’s look at Mr. Trump’s record during this campaign. He’s declared his support for single-payer healthcare. That puts him to the left of Obamacare. He’s re-declared his support for Planned Parenthood. He’s re-supporting tax increases. He’s supported crony capitalism. He’s endorsed “touchback” amnesty. He wants the U.S. to break the Geneva Convention. He’s “neutral” on Israel and Palestine. He wants South Korea and Japan to have nuclear arsenals.

Paul Krugman loves Trump’s big government economic plan for the simple reason that big government will remain under President Trump.

Two weeks ago, Mr. Trump took the left’s side in the North Carolina transgender bathroom controversy.

Last week Mr. Trump announced—guess what?—he’s not just pro-abortion, he wants the pro-life plank in the GOP platform removed, thus divorcing the Republican Party from the pro-life movement. Sarah, Ben, Mike, Phyllis: How can you still support this man? He has now thrown you under the bus, embracing an agenda you’ve spent your entire career opposing. Can you accept that betrayal?

What will you tell your supporters when the man you endorsed enacts an agenda that horrifies them?

As the Republican primaries draw to some sort of conclusion, right now Trump is surrounding himself with GOP establishment types, trying to assure them he doesn’t really mean many of the things he’s said, claiming that much of his campaign is just posturing.

Posturing to whom?

Top Trump aide Paul Manafort is telling GOP establishment bosses behind closed doors that his boss is “a real different guy.” His campaign openly touts his chameleon-like character as some sort of general election advantage.

Is someone with no discernible principles the candidate you want leading the Republican Party and taking on the Democrats in 2016?

Is someone who consistently lies about principles and positions he doesn’t hold worthy of your support?

If Trump becomes the nominee, and enacts the policies he’s now championing, will conservatives who chose to aid and abet Mr. Trump be able to live with their decision?

When it comes time to nominate a new Supreme Court Justice, and President Trump names his radically pro-abortion sister, as he’s suggested he would, or some other radically pro-abortion pro- Planned Parenthood jurist, as we know he will, will you accept that you helped him do that?

When President Trump shocks the civilized world by killing the children of terrorists, arming nations with nuclear weapons (you don’t think Russia won’t do likewise with its allies?) and breaking the Geneva Convention (God help our men and women captured by our enemies who will do the same) will you live with that?

When Big Government, crony capitalism — the corruption of government that triggered his movement — continue unabated for the simple reason he’s offered no plan to stop it, will you accept the blame for having supported it?

This isn’t about purity. It’s about basic sanity.

Do the most courageous thing you’ve ever done, in a lifetime of bravery. Retract your endorsement.

Brent Bozell is the Chairman of ForAmerica, a national grassroots organization whose mission is to use social media to reinvigorate the public with the principles of American exceptionalism: freedom, prosperity and virtue. ForAmerica has over 8 million members and is a non-profit 501(c)4. www.ForAmerica.org.

The most definitive timeline of the Corey Lewandowski incident. Not surprising it took Megyn to compile the exact timeline, with all the supporting pieces of evidence contained therein.

If this were a court of law, Lewandowski would be pronounced guilty–by a jury of his peers, by a judge, by pretty much anyone with eye-sight.

David Wohl does exactly what people hate about the Trump camp. He lies–repeatedly–and attempts to shame anyone viewing the actual evidence of which there is plenty from believing their own senses. Shapiro perfectly summarizes that fact at the end.

It does not matter if it doesn’t appear to be “very serious” to Donald Trump. The law is written as the law is written.

It is piggish and disgusting that repeatedly time after time Trump and everyone around him continuously treats the people that they believe are beneath them as though they are disposable trash.

And that list of people that he treats that way is getting longer by the day.

But who wouldn’t be surprised by Mr. President Punch-them-in-the-face?

A lot of chest puffing has been going around in the talk radio world this election cycle. Lots of people on talk radio’s right claiming that they will hold no ill opinion of any of the GOP candidates so that they won’t have to “eat any crow” when the general election gets here. They give it cutesy names like “#Switzerland” or “#NeverDems” or “#GOPTrain.”

The theory is simple enough, “If we ‘mask’ the weaknesses of the (sad) GOP candidate we put forward, then we’ll trick enough people into not seeing their weaknesses and perhaps enough of them will be fooled so that they can vote for them in November.”

One of the dumbest things the right has ever thought up if you ask me.

It is especially ridiculous thinking this year, as the likely nominee has considerable garbage that he’s not even trying to clean up. He just keeps rolling around in it, sadly, without learning anything.

With that said here’s my most important reasons why I refuse to play the charade.

My listeners deserve better. In every election cycle I come off of doing massive amounts of other news, just so that I can talk about the political process. Average talk radio audiences can not hold up under 24/7 politics, 365. So for 2.5 years I talk about the things that impact their lives. Stuff from the front page. I explain to them my opinions about those stories. I make assertions, and I debunk assumptions. Unintentionally I am also doing a great deal of trust building and teaching. Trust building in that I never lie to my audience. If I bring them an issue, a story, a product, or a service, they know that they can trust it, because it comes from ME. This is key to my long time survival for my family, and my short term goals of career. If suddenly I started getting neutral in an area of moral clarity, when the rest of the years they hear me pronounce definitive positions, then they immediately know.

I don’t care about tricking people. The most conservative candidate in the race when the general election rolls around will have weaknesses. Pretending they do not exist is dishonest and silly. With opposition research going down there will be things extrapolated, made up, or possibly turn out to be true. But it’s far better to discuss them openly, and have as much transparency to the process than to hide them and hope people don’t notice.

Being tough helps the candidate. They will never admit it but dealing with tensions and stress (and specifically as early as possible) will make statements about the character and dependability about the candidate. How do they deal with being treated fairly with accusations that have merit. And the one I find more revealing–how do they respond when dealing with the things that are untrue? Character is refined and exposed under the bright lights of intense pressure. The campaign should be one of the most grueling things that person will ever have to endure. It should be that way so that those of us making the decision to hire or not hire have a clear understanding of what we are getting.

There are many more reasons I could list but for the purpose of this communique I’m gonna leave it there for now.

As 2016 has progressed I have been beyond dismayed at how this cycle has failed the voters. For having bar none the greatest field of candidates when we started the race we are closing it out with some of the oddest realities I’ve seen.

Somehow in a field that included a bunch of the most talented governors in our nation’s history, the three most visible U.S. Senators that had led the grassroots charge to reform DC from a thing called the Tea Party, and three of the most talented public sector candidates the GOP had ever engaged.

A Billionaire, a gifted female CEO, an African American Neurosurgeon, an Indian American southerner, two Cuban dissident children, a Rust belt Governor, a Mid-Atlantic Governor, a Corn belt Governor, and four Bible belt governors. We even had just a plain old former Senator from Pennsylvania.

I was guilty early in the race of saying, “elect them all, let the billionaire assign their positions, and turn ’em loose.”

And somehow, in some way, in a way that defies explanation that I can not even fully connect the dots to in terms of how it could have — but it ALL fell apart.

Most of the talented executive Governors were tossed in the early rounds. The only one who stayed in is one that has no prayer of winning.

As the field winnowed it was clear that it was the outsiders (Tea Party Senators, and public sector candidates) that had ALL of the momentum. And the two that have now ended up capturing more than 90% of the GOP Primary support was a tea-party Senator that tried to shut down Washington DC in order to keep promises to the people of America, and a Billionaire who on day one basically promised to blow everything up.

From that original talented field of orators we are left with three very different types of communicators. A bully, a boy scout, and the uncle who always laughs at the wrong things at family gatherings.

The billionaire who jumped out to the early lead, suddenly revealed that he himself had been tricking some people. We discovered that he had literally no limits. Journalists confessing that he had attempted to “woo” them just before announcing for President. Watching mortified as he made fun of disabled people. Slipping from time to time into hateful stereotypes of hispanics. Revealing that the secret to his way with women is to treat them like sh*t. And most annoying his preemptive marketing labels that he put on all of his opponents. But even that wasn’t enough…

During and through out it all I continued to say repeatedly that while I’m a fan of dislodging the brokered power-base in Washington DC, I am convinced that it is not necessary to elect the most profane human being to ever run for the office to do it.

I was chastised by fellow personalities on talk radio, internet, television, and in person.

I was told not to engage in “circular fire” because it was going to play into the hands of the new boogieman “the establishment.” (As if suddenly the elected choices of we the people were suddenly voided once they were elected.) But as time went by the profanity, the crass ugly, the inhumane mindset of the billionaire front runner never lessened.

Simultaneously another oddity began to occur. Said billionaire’s actual record began to be exposed. But since he’s never been in political office somehow his supporters believe his behavior will be different IN OFFICE than it was prior to office.

But has that ever been anyone’s experience?

Power hungry megalomaniacs have never improved their behavior once given absolute control.

As the investigation into his actual record began to be revealed it became obvious that he was a fraud on every level.

He claimed he was against the establishment, and then it was revealed that he had been in bed with the establishment more than in other person in American history. He had played all sides–and still is. He is a great “deal cutter” became his motto. When we are trying to elect someone who doesn’t cut deals.

He claimed to be pro-life. But continuously evolved even in the campaign cycle to demonstrate a hardness towards cutting funding for Planned Parenthood and whose position today would be to leave 100% of the funding they currently get–in place.

He claimed he’d be tough on radical terrorists. But can not bring himself to define the difference between radical islamists seeking to destroy Israel, and the diligent people of Israel who seek merely to protect themselves.

He claimed to acknowledge the problems of immigration but then told the New York Times in one interview that when the atmosphere at the rallies would hit a lull that he would “just say, ‘build the wall’ and the place would go nuts.” And in a later interview that he refuses to release, people with first hand knowledge of the recordings say that he said “ALL of his policies on immigration were negotiable.”

I could list a dozen more instances but for brevity’s sake…

The problem in not responding to these obvious hypocrisies is that they will be exposed and exploited in the general election.

And then my fellow media colleagues chastise me–using a method that Trump supporters use online, dozens of times, daily–they thrust me into the ultimate “gotcha” question. Or so they believe.

“Well if Trump is the candidate, who are you gonna support between him and Hillary?”

I’ve languished about it a good deal, and until day before yesterday–TO MY SHAME–I was STILL–undecided on what to do in such an equation. (My immediate strategy has been to remind everyone that we are still in the midst of a primary battle and that with each passing day and Cruz win the billionaire’s chances of reaching the convention cleanly get dimmer.)

But let’s just say for the moment that all the billionaire supporting mouth breathers are right for a minute.

Let’s suppose he gets the nomination.

Until two days ago I was still ready to consider pulling the handle for him.

The thinking is that he would have the support and be surrounded more people that I trusted than those that are on the other team. But watching his ability to wildly disappoint my expectations–that is not a given. And given his ability to throw people away like trash I can not trust his decision making nor his character.

And that was brought home very clearly two days ago…

I say it all the time, “The truest measure of a man is how he treats those people who can do nothing for them.”

But I forgot to measure Trump by those same standards. The assertion speaks to the moral core of the person. And because of this moral issue, I can no longer distinguish a moral difference between Hillary and Donald. They both use people for their own edification. They manipulate, lie, pivot, and adjust. Maybe in the business world they “have to” do it. I could talk to you for hours how hard it is to work very hard and come up short.

But its how they treat people that has me equally vexed.

Trump got mad two nights ago because a third party SuperPAC made an online ad about his wife. They did so using an easily accessible nude image of her. (In fact its harder to google her name and NOT have a copy of the image pop up in your search results than the other way around. Interesting aside: Also was photographed on Donald’s own plane.) Trump didn’t like the fact that this third party (with documented zero connection to Cruz in any way) simply pointed out that Mrs. Trump would be the first porn subject to become first lady.

In response over two nights he first threatened and then attacked Ted Cruz’s wife.

Heidi Cruz had no connection to anything. So why did Trump focus on her?

Because she couldn’t do anything for him.

So to be clear, the billionaire bully was willing to injure the most innocent person in the entire, sad, episode.

I suddenly realized, this is no better than lying to the Whitewater investigators, its no better than lying about your husband’s felony lying and infidelity, its no better than lying to the families of Benghazi–sorta similar in terms of the pain actually, and no different than lying about one’s emails.

Trump lies, Hillary lies.

They both live for themselves and believe themselves to be the center of the universe.

They both use people to reach objectives.

They both are so hungry for this job–and for all the wrong reasons.

Donald Trump never mentions the Constitution. Neither does Hillary. Both will fund Planned Parenthood at the same levels it is now. Both will put lousy judges on the federal judiciary–Trump saying maybe his sister would be great. Fantastic let’s make your son secretary of defense, and Ivanka the head of the IRS.

Hillary and Donald both exercise the cruelest form of payback. They are about the same on national defense, and neither of them are going to do away with the tax code. They both desire some form of Government involvement in health care. And they are both beholding to Wall Street.

In every way you look at it. Ted Cruz clobbered Donald Trump on Saturday.

From the intriguing but non-binding blistering in the CPAC straw poll to the outlandish performance where he doubled the Donald (and then some) in Kansas it was nothing short of a huge night for Cruz.

“Experts” had “predicted” a four state sweep. But the Donald–despite maniacally bragging about his size and the size of his support all day on Twitter–would end up being whacked in the face with a 2×4 in Kansas, completely mugged and left for dead in Maine, and in the two wins he would secure–he was kept in doubt until the very last minute of 90% percentile of the vote count.

Even that was an embarrassment because the news organizations (based on turnout models combined with the crushing early vote numbers) called the race in Louisiana at .2% of the vote counted. And why not? Donald was up 49% to 21%.

And if you’re expecting roughly the same amount of turnout as the last cycle, you could probably say that it would be impossible for Cruz to come back.

But turnout this year ISN’T like it was in 2012. For the GOP it’s been double digits higher in every race so far. And for the Dems it’s double digits lower.

And it ISN’T Donald Trump creating the turnout. Unless it’s negative turnout, because he is averaging barely 30% of that record setting stampede, and 70% of that mania is voting against him.

So in Kentucky and in Louisiana, Trump got a bit more than 3% in each race. And walked away with about 1.5 delegates more from each.

Cruz’s routes in Kansas and Maine, his blink of the eye second place in Kentucky (where he spent no resources), and his late night heartburn-inducing down the wire finish in Louisiana beat the Donald like a drum.

On this edition of the Nationally Syndicated Kevin McCullough Show, Texas Governor Greg Abbott says Cruz will win. ALSO Trump retweets Il Duce then adopts a policy like Il Duce’s. And finally… One of the most horrific realities of why we must fight for what is right!

Earlier today I saw a parade of stories come floating through my feeds telling me of different Veterans groups that didn’t much appreciate being played as a useful idiot in the Donald Trump Reality Show. I grasp their concerns and understand how they will be needing to work with any incoming administration to improve the plight of those who have served us so faithfully in uniform.

Both of my grandfathers served in the NAVY in the big war. I had several uncles in the Air Force. A few distant cousins in the Marines, and one I believe who even served Army.

My mother’s father had long lasting injuries sustained from his service and was afforded care and help from the government as a Disabled Veteran.

Through all the years and administrations I remember him talking about his experiences with Veterans’ Affairs or the VA as something he was grateful for.

With the recent revelations of how the Obama administration allowed the conditions for our heroes to deteriorate much like he is disintegrating our service vehicles–ships and planes especially–it has turned my stomach that veterans are going through such pain.

But when Mr. Trump decided to use the veterans to get back at a network that wouldn’t bend and capitulate to his tantrums…

Let’s just say we can all understand why Iowans are abandoning him like flies, and why veterans felt used.

These were my thoughts before I ever even glanced at this piece. I don’t much read the particular outlet often, but its arguable to try make the case with straight face that he has always been “pro-vet.” At least from the veterans who were around him the most.

It was hard for me to grasp as someone who has been so deeply appreciative of how his candidacy has busted up the rules in the primary season–that he could allow these words to escape his lips.

But they did: I used to say something akin to this about the current resident of the White House.

“Barack Obama could have choked a baby, in Times Square, on National TV, with his bare hands and African Americans would’ve voted for him regardless.”

Oddly I was never challenged on that assertion. And I have many African Americans who listen to me daily.

So it should come as no surprise that if what people are referring to as the current GOP standard bearer (and I’m shuddering even thinking those words much less typing them) says the same thing–he better certainly be called out on it.

For as much as it was true of President Obama, and I’m certain he knew how true it was, he never would have said something so profane and insipid.

Trump has jumped the shark, and he simply can not be the standard bearer.

I don’t care how much money he has to put into his own race, you can not fix broken character.

And WHO would EVER think such a thought–much less utter it–in public?

Sadly it appears I’m in the minority. My very dear friend Dr. Gina Loudon and I had it out on last night’s final hour of the show.

It betrays the dignity of a person’s manhood to be as insecure as one Donald Trump.

Earlier today he took to Twitter. (Something I would advise his staff to back away from immediately.) The tone, tactic, and general topics of what he tweets tends towards the inane.

He wants to be the leader of the free world but talks in tweets at a 3rd grade level.

Fresh off using Sarah Palin’s endorsement, gaining the SNL parodied cold open from it, and referring to Glenn Beck as a crying fool, he decided to return his sights to Megyn Kelly who will be one of the moderators this coming Thursday at the final debate before Iowa votes (and he will in all likelihood lose his very first test–after bragging about how he only wins:)

Fox News responded calling him out as more or less a media con man attempting to boost his own ratings–so they thanked him. (Genius!)

But a thought crossed my mind in the process…

Not only does the man barely embody behavior that would emulate the dignity of being a President, but how can he stake a claim to being ready to take on the fierce enemies around the world when he whines to Roger Ailes about Megyn Kelly being too mean?

Seriously it’s almost like he’s acting like he can’t possibly BE the commander in chief and he’s just daring the voters to stop him…

One more week and Iowans will prove someone right… But who… That remains the question.

Donald Trump’s Instagram video ad kept the issue alive a bit longer. But when Bill and Hillary begin to avoid the questions that press and others begin asking, it’s naturally going to produce MORE interest.

They may not like it, but it’s going to happen.

Now…

The question is raised, “Is it fair?”

(FULL DISCLOSURE: I was the male voice in a discussion about the treatment of women, as it relates to a female candidate, booked by a female producer, as it is being hosted by a woman, and whose counter point foil is also a woman. In essence it’s dicey waters to wade in to. Wanting to respond with common sense, sensitivity, but as always TRUTH… So how’d I do?)